Financial Planner Instructs Medical Negligence Lawyers To Investigate Care

A Hospital Trust has apologised after a Surrey woman was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 months after a mammogram requiring further action wasn’t followed up.

Wioletta Smith was undergoing annual surveillance mammograms due to changes in her right breast.

In December 2022, she attended Kingston Hospital in south west London, for her yearly examination. The image was marked as FAR (further action required) by the radiologist with recommendations for an ultrasound assessment and possible biopsy. It was e-mailed to the breast clinic, however it transpired that it was never received.

As she didn’t hear anything further, Wioletta, aged 41 “assumed everything was fine.”

Woman diagnosed with grade three breast cancer

She attended her GP surgery in October 2023, reporting a lump in her breast, and was referred under the urgent two-week suspected cancer pathway.  She underwent a biopsy and was diagnosed with grade three breast cancer.

Following her diagnosis, Wioletta, from East Molesley, instructed expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate her care under the Kingston Hospital Foundation Trust and whether her cancer could have been found earlier.

She’s now raising awareness of the importance of accurate testing.

Kingston Hospital Foundation Trust apologises and confirms implementation of safety recommendations

It comes after the Hospital Trust, in a letter to Wioletta, apologised that her mammogram in December 2022 was not sent via the agreed process, therefore it wasn’t received by the breast clinic and the recommendations weren’t actioned.

The Trust stated that as a result of the incident, it had identified learning and implemented safety recommendations.

Lauren Mannion is the medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell representing Wioletta.

Expert Opinion

“The past year has been incredibly difficult for Wioletta coming to terms with her diagnosis and the physical and emotional impact it’s had on her.

“Through our work, we sadly see the devastating effects that breast cancer can have, and understandably Wioletta has a number of questions and concerns around the events that led up to her diagnosis.

“While we continue to support Wioletta so she can access the specialist support and therapies she requires, we welcome that the Trust’s pledge to improve patient safety.

“Despite what happened to Wioletta and current concerns around cancer care and waiting times, it’s important people continue to participate in screening programmes or seek medical advice as soon as possible if they’re concerned they may have cancer.

“Early detection and treatment are key to beating it.” Lauren Mannion

Breast cancer: Wioletta Smith's story

In it’s letter to Wioletta, Kingston Hospital Foundation Trust confirmed that the process for the FAR radiological alerts distribution within the breast team had been redesigned and a standard operation procedure was created and agreed with the radiology department. 

The pathway for patients under surveillance mammogram review was also due to be redesigned to “minimise the likelihood of human error” and to ensure requests and follow-ups were “managed in a standardised way.”

Following her diagnosis, Wioletta has undergone surgery to remove the lump, and treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Financial planner Wioletta lives with her husband and their son.

Wioletta speaks out on 'shock' diagnosis

Wioletta said: “I always made sure to attend all my appointments and reviews at the hospital, so when I didn’t hear back about the mammogram in question, I assumed everything was fine.

“So to then find out less than a year later that I had cancer came has a huge shock; I was absolutely devastated.

“It would have been easy for me to crumble and think ‘why me?’ but I knew I couldn’t change the diagnosis so I was determined to fight it.  I have a young son and I want to be around to see him grow up, so giving up really wasn’t an option.

“The treatment process has been gruelling, both physically and emotionally, and I had to keep telling myself it’s temporary and I’ll get through the other side.

“I still feel hugely let down by the hospital trust, but I appreciate the apology and that they’ve introduced changes to help prevent something like this happening to someone else.

“I hope by speaking out, I can raise awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer.  Many people are affected by the disease, so we all need to know what to look out for.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in supporting people affected by cancer at the dedicated section on our website. Alternatively, to speak to an expert contact us or call 0370 1500 100.